Schloss Schneeberg

Schloss Schneeberg stands on a hill beside the Gschnitzbach stream southwest of Trins in the Austrian province of Tirol. The first written record of the castle dates from 1297, when it belonged to Lazarius von Trins. Over the centuries it passed through many noble hands: the Ebner family in the 14th century, Duke Sigismund in the 15th, Marx Treytz-Saurwein in 1506, Konrad Neujäger in 1513, Friedrich Franz von Schneeberg in 1527, and Johann Wellinger in 1568. Since 1778 the Sarnthein counts have owned the estate. Little remains of the original 13th-century fortress. The main residential wing, whose core dates from the 18th century, was largely rebuilt in 1910. A northern outbuilding that served as a stable until 1910 still has a chamfered round-arched door from the 16th century on its ground floor. Remains of a once extensive curtain wall with two round towers from the 16th century were restored in 1928, and fragments of a third tower can still be seen. The roof of the main tower was renewed and re-shingled in 2014. Visitors reach the castle by a short climb from the village. Inside the main building they find rooms arranged around a central courtyard. The 16th-century door and the restored curtain wall with its towers give a sense of the fortress’s past. Beyond the walls the view extends over the Gschnitz valley and the surrounding mountains.